HOW IS YOUR PASSION?
But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
Revelation 2:4
My father-in-law, Gerald Canon, was a pastor in the greater Houston area for over fifty years. He was a wonderful man with a wealth of Bible knowledge. When I was just beginning to teach my first Sunday school class, I would call him to pick his brain.
I remember asking him about David being called “a man after My [God’s] heart” (Acts 13:22). I posed this question to him one day, “Gerald, what do you think it means exactly, to be a man after God’s own heart?”
He answered with wisdom and insight, “David had a great passion, love and desire for God. The things that were important to God were important to David. That’s at the core of what it means.” Well put!
GREAT PASSION?
In Revelation 2:4, the Lord rebukes the church in Ephesus for leaving their first love. Remember, the greatest commandment of all is to love God with all you’ve got (see Matthew 22:37-38). If you leave your first love, you miss the most important thing of all. If you leave your first love, your passion for Jesus starts to wane.
How is your passion and love for the Lord Jesus these days? Are you “on fire,” “lukewarm,” or “getting cold”? Do you want to take a little test to check your spiritual temperature? (Let me warn you, it is convicting.)
You know you have left your first love when:
- You delight more in someone else than in God.
- Your soul does not long for one-on-one time with God.
- Your thoughts during leisure moments are rarely on God.
- You view the commands of God as restrictions on your life.
- You inwardly strive for the approval of man rather than the approval of God.
- You refuse to give up questionable activities.
- You fail to make Christ known for fear of rejection.
- You are unwilling to forgive another.
- You become complacent of sin around you.
THE REMEDY
What do you do if your passion for Christ has obviously waned? What do you do if you are guilty, as the church in Ephesus was, of leaving your first love? You heed the words of Jesus:
“Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you, and will remove your lamp stand out of its place—unless you repent.” —Revelation 2:5
PRAYER OF REPENTANCE
Perhaps you need to pray this prayer of repentance:
Lord, when I honestly evaluate my heart for You, I see that I am guilty of leaving my first love. I don’t want to be a lukewarm Christian who is half-heartedly in love with You. Change my heart, God. Set my soul on fire. Help me to be so passionate about You. Thank You for the cross, Lord Jesus. Let me never forget how much You love me and what You paid to save me. I surrender anew and afresh to Your will and Your ways for me. Amen.
Remember, “We love, because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Passion problems require a fresh look at the cross of Jesus Christ. Why not reread the crucifixion accounts in the Gospels and watch The Passion of the Christ? You will be powerfully reminded of His unfathomable love for you, and your heart will start beating passionately once again for Him.
Love,
Pastor Jeff Schreve,
From His Heart Ministries
Dr. Jeff Schreve believes that no matter how badly you may have messed up in life, God still loves you and has a wonderful plan just for you. From His Heart provides real truth, love and hope on over 700 radio stations each day, in 182 countries each week on TV, and is always available online. Pastor Jeff takes no income from this ministry. All donations go to furthering the broadcast outreach. As a listener/viewer supported ministry, we thank you for joining with us to help speak the truth in love to a lost and hurting world. Go to www.fromhisheart.org for more information.
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